Suenomel
Active Member
I just wanted to share my sad experience with this horrible syndrome.
When Sueno was initially diagnosed, i went online and failed to find any recent posts so here is Sueno's story.
Sueno was a beautiful Friesian horse. I bought him unbacked from the Netherlands and we developed a close bond very quickly.
He was always on the lazy side but being so chilled we assumed it was part of his character. He also stumbled a lot but was only 3 when i got him so we thought that was the baby in him. In hindsight, those were the first signs something was wrong.
Wobbler syndrome is a degenerative syndrome. It basically is (and excuse my wording if i don't use the right technical terms, but i am no vet!) a compression of the spinal cord by the vertebrae which impacts the use of the back legs. The message from the brain to the hind limbs isnt related properly which leads the horse to stumble in mild cases and to not even be able to stand in the worst cases.
What made me get the vet out was Sueno falling on one of our hacks going downhill. He completely lost his backend and ended up sitting like a dog. Surprisingly he got right up with me on top but that scared me enough. The next day, i decided to ride him in the school to see if anything was wrong. He really struggled to trot, found it impossible to canter and kept on losing his back legs in trot to walk transitions. From this, we decided on box rest and got the vet. I had never heard about Wobblers before then and neither did my yard owner/manager who have been dealing with horse for a very long time.
The vet did the usual tests :making the horse walk while pulling on his tail to see if he pulls back. If the horse offers resistance, that is good. If he doesnt, not good. She then got him to walk blindfolded which confirmed her suspicion. I was advised my loving horse was now considered dangerous and i should take extreme care when around him. I was still allowed to take him out to graze in hand as he loved his grass.
From there, we booked some Xrays which showed a narrower gap around his C2/C3 creating the compression.
Sueno was then referred to Liphook which is a brilliant equine hospital. He got another Xray there as well as a myelogram which confirmed my worst fears. The vet gave me the odds of him getting better with the surgery which were very very slim. I had to make the terrible decision of PTS my amazing boy at the grand age of 5 years and 2 days... When i went to see him after the myelgram, he had got worst. He could barely move. He has always been the sort of horse with his head above the door looking at everything and wanting to be petted. But when i arrive on that day, he just turned his head my way (he was facing the other way) and gave the smallest of neigh. He was also rocking back and forth with his legs not moving, just his body mass rocking and rocking. This is one of the scarriest thing i have ever seen. He didnt even touch his feed which i had to carry up to him. It was made obvious i had taken the right decision but it didnt exactly made me feel better.
Nothing in life prepares you to say goodbye to your horse, especially when you share a bond as special and tight as Sueno and I had.
The vet confirmed i had made the right decision as well. He also highlighted that in my horse's case (who was only a 3 on the "wobbler" scale), I had done the kindest thing. At his stage, he wouldnt have improved much (or more than likely at all) from the surgery so wouldnt have been able to be turned out with others. The vet also told me in that case, the surgery is more there for the owners and the horse. That got me thinking. What a terrible thing to do to put yourself before your horse's welfare all in the name of love.
Costs wise (quite a few people may be interested to know!), I was quoted a min of £5,000 for the surgery, care and pre-tests such as Xrays and Myelogram. This was the least it would costs me if Sueno made speedy recovery and if he could be moved out of Liphook quickly. You would then need your normal vet to come out to remove the stables and come and evaluate your horse. You do not usually find out right away if the surgery worked as it can take up to a year for the benefits to show.
On young-er horses, the surgery is more likely to succeed so there will always be a part of me kicking myself for not getting the vet out initially when i first got Sueno and first noticed the stumbling.
Anyways, i hope this will help other owners going through a similar situation.
When Sueno was initially diagnosed, i went online and failed to find any recent posts so here is Sueno's story.
Sueno was a beautiful Friesian horse. I bought him unbacked from the Netherlands and we developed a close bond very quickly.
He was always on the lazy side but being so chilled we assumed it was part of his character. He also stumbled a lot but was only 3 when i got him so we thought that was the baby in him. In hindsight, those were the first signs something was wrong.
Wobbler syndrome is a degenerative syndrome. It basically is (and excuse my wording if i don't use the right technical terms, but i am no vet!) a compression of the spinal cord by the vertebrae which impacts the use of the back legs. The message from the brain to the hind limbs isnt related properly which leads the horse to stumble in mild cases and to not even be able to stand in the worst cases.
What made me get the vet out was Sueno falling on one of our hacks going downhill. He completely lost his backend and ended up sitting like a dog. Surprisingly he got right up with me on top but that scared me enough. The next day, i decided to ride him in the school to see if anything was wrong. He really struggled to trot, found it impossible to canter and kept on losing his back legs in trot to walk transitions. From this, we decided on box rest and got the vet. I had never heard about Wobblers before then and neither did my yard owner/manager who have been dealing with horse for a very long time.
The vet did the usual tests :making the horse walk while pulling on his tail to see if he pulls back. If the horse offers resistance, that is good. If he doesnt, not good. She then got him to walk blindfolded which confirmed her suspicion. I was advised my loving horse was now considered dangerous and i should take extreme care when around him. I was still allowed to take him out to graze in hand as he loved his grass.
From there, we booked some Xrays which showed a narrower gap around his C2/C3 creating the compression.
Sueno was then referred to Liphook which is a brilliant equine hospital. He got another Xray there as well as a myelogram which confirmed my worst fears. The vet gave me the odds of him getting better with the surgery which were very very slim. I had to make the terrible decision of PTS my amazing boy at the grand age of 5 years and 2 days... When i went to see him after the myelgram, he had got worst. He could barely move. He has always been the sort of horse with his head above the door looking at everything and wanting to be petted. But when i arrive on that day, he just turned his head my way (he was facing the other way) and gave the smallest of neigh. He was also rocking back and forth with his legs not moving, just his body mass rocking and rocking. This is one of the scarriest thing i have ever seen. He didnt even touch his feed which i had to carry up to him. It was made obvious i had taken the right decision but it didnt exactly made me feel better.
Nothing in life prepares you to say goodbye to your horse, especially when you share a bond as special and tight as Sueno and I had.
The vet confirmed i had made the right decision as well. He also highlighted that in my horse's case (who was only a 3 on the "wobbler" scale), I had done the kindest thing. At his stage, he wouldnt have improved much (or more than likely at all) from the surgery so wouldnt have been able to be turned out with others. The vet also told me in that case, the surgery is more there for the owners and the horse. That got me thinking. What a terrible thing to do to put yourself before your horse's welfare all in the name of love.
Costs wise (quite a few people may be interested to know!), I was quoted a min of £5,000 for the surgery, care and pre-tests such as Xrays and Myelogram. This was the least it would costs me if Sueno made speedy recovery and if he could be moved out of Liphook quickly. You would then need your normal vet to come out to remove the stables and come and evaluate your horse. You do not usually find out right away if the surgery worked as it can take up to a year for the benefits to show.
On young-er horses, the surgery is more likely to succeed so there will always be a part of me kicking myself for not getting the vet out initially when i first got Sueno and first noticed the stumbling.
Anyways, i hope this will help other owners going through a similar situation.
